limoncello

A Limoncello Lemon Drop is sure to cheer on even the gloomiest winter days. After nearly a week with snow and ice on the ground (unheard of in the Portland metro area), we are finally back to normal weather – rain and more rain. I can handle rain and more rain, though I still have a serious craving for asparagus and strawberries (and first of the season radishes). January is such an odd time for seasonal foods. There’s plenty of citrus in the market, and there are definitely all the root veggies still, but there’s not a single fruit or veggie that just screams January to me.

January is, however, a good time to start clearing out the pantry. I’m down to three jars of limoncello and three of blood orange-cello. I’ve got some blood orange bitters infusing, which used up a few spices and some of the blood oranges from the now infamous 40 pound box. I’m thinking I might try some new recipes for the limoncello. It’s great in cocktails, of course, like the limoncello lemon drop, but I’ve been thinking a bit about what else I can do with it. Any thoughts? I’d love to hear them in the comments below.

Meanwhile, I did finish out using all the lemon cubes from the lemons from way back in December when I made the limoncello in the first place. Lemon cubes (really, any citrus juice that’s been frozen) are so great for cocktails. Toss one in and if it melts, no problem – it just adds to the flavor of the cocktail instead of watering it down.

I like my limoncello lemon drop a bit on the sour side. I’ve always been a big fan of sour cocktails. You can definitely adjust the amount of limoncello you use in these to make them sweeter.